Monday, November 19, 2007

Recipe of the Day: Scented Beads #2

"A rose is a rose is a rose." - Gertrude Stein

The word Rosary comes from the latin "rosarium", meaning rose garden. The first rosary originated in India as a counting devise, the repetition action is believed to achieve a heightened state, much like contemplation of a mandala. The Hindu people refer to them as a neck mala. Each bead represents a mantra or prayer, with each use, the neck mala is imbued with the vibration of divine worship.

ROSE BEADS #1 simple(adapted from Sally Pointer)

- Grind your barks, herbs, gums and resins to a powder- Bind with tragacanth dissolved in rosewater- Mix to a playdough like consistency and model into beads.

Place the fresh rose petals in the cast iron pot, add water to cover and cook over low heat for one hour. Allow to cool. Repeat the process, once a day for three consecutive days. Dip your fingers into rose essential oil, or a rosy aroma like rose geranium essential oil, and grab some of the cooked rose petal mixture to form beads. Pierce the bead with a threaded needle, continue until the entire rose petal mixture has been utilized. Allow to dry, rotating beads to prevent sticking.

Take a pound of roses without the flower heads, and seven ounces of ground benzoin. Put the roses to soak in musk water for a night. Remove these roses afterwards and thoroughly squeeze out the water, and grind them with the benzoin. And when grinding, put with it a quarter of amber and veggie musk [see below]. After [they are] ground, make your tablets and put each one between two rose leaves, and dry them away from the sun."